We traveled back to Chris’ homeland this weekend. Our main reason for going was for Sarah’s birthday celebration. Our secondary reason was to get our taxes done by the most amazing tax guy ever, according to Chris’ parents and Kris and Becky Cowen. They were all correct, as Mr. Most Amazing Tax Guy Ever scored us the biggest tax refund either of us has ever seen (or expected). Getting married and buying a house did us good this tax year. I won’t reveal our big number, but let’s just say we’ll be able to pay off my car, get Chris new tires for his, buy a new camera lens (105 macro, holler!), and still have quite a bit left over.

We are happy campers this Sunday evening.

Chris is currently in the office purchasing our website domain, which means we are getting ever closer to being able to reveal our photography name and send people to our website! He’s also trying to figure out Quickbooks, since we’ll be needing to keep track of a whole lot of stuff now. Mr. Tax Guy gave us some good tips on what to track (pretty much anything and everything), so we are taking this very seriously. (We have a number to beat come next tax season, after all.)

I’m sprawled on the bed, watching How I Met Your Mother (Season 2, Disc 3), finishing up my lesson plans, and gathering the things I need to print tomorrow morning. Another week, another Monday. Another plan for a new chapter. We’ll see if this one works any more than the other plans did. I try not to discourage myself, and as I told Chris yesterday, I have to constantly remind myself that if I wasn’t doing the class, the kids would be doing it on their own and failing everything, so at least they’re doing better than they would be. Even if it is taking a long time to get them motivated enough to work.

While we were up in Redlands/Yucaipa, we took the D90 to get pictures of Sarah’s celebration. And since I’m so incredibly on top of things tonight, I’ve already got them downloaded to my laptop and ready to show the world.

(Farah is Sarah’s code name, for when Chris and Sarah make up hypothetical stories about themselves, most of which involve an argument of some sort that they are trying to win people over to. I think the first one ever had to do with parsley vs. cilantro as the go-to herb or choice.)

This cat is the queen.

We’re laughing, because we just knocked our heads together getting in close for the photo.

This time I’m laughing because Sarah packed as many things as she possibly could into that purse, including all her other gifts and a pillow.

I just like his shoes. 🙂

Oh my gosh, I freaking love our new camera, especially for birthday candle pictures!

Chris teaches his parents the ways of the iphone.

Also? We got our daylight back this weekend! Woot!